From trainee to project developer: Rosa did it

"When I started at Ballast Nedam as a trainee in 2020, I had just completed my master's in construction management and engineering at TU Delft. I wanted to work close to the practice. Preferably with a large, international contractor. That's how I ended up at Ballast Nedam," says Rosa Bos, now a project developer with Ballast Nedam Development.

The traineeship that Rosa followed lasts a year and provides a good insight into the company. "First you spend six months in two departments at the office and then you spend the last six months working on the building site. In my case, I first worked in the Planning & Logistics and Calculation departments. Then I went to work on the building site of Galaxy Tower in Utrecht. Suddenly, I was sitting in the site unit among the construction workers. Fantastic," laughs Rosa. 

Motivations 

The Galaxy Tower is a 90-metre-high tower on the Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht, with appartments and a hotel. It will be a sustainable and gasless building with green roof gardens and solar panels. "It's a beautiful project and it's great to get your hands dirty for six months."

Rosa has now completed her traineeship at Ballast Nedam. She looks back on it with great pleasure. "You get to know the company really well in a short time and in an accessible way. And it's very interesting to observe different departments. It helps you discover what you are looking for in a job and what not. That's nice, especially if you've just graduated from university," says Rosa. "Another big plus of the traineeship is that you have regular development interviews and get plenty of room to discover what your motivation and ambitions are."

"I graduated on the subject of circular construction and wanted to do something with it within Ballast Nedam. That's how I became involved in the circular platform CB'23. We are working with various parties from the construction industry and the government to reach uniform agreements on circular construction by 2023.

"I also give webinars with and for my colleagues about circular construction, for example." Rosa explains that it is more difficult to start working with circular construction in an existing project such as the Galaxy Tower. "You can, for example, make the separation of waste transparent and possibly improve it, but the most important choices regarding circular construction have already been made in an existing project."  

Project development

"Because I wanted to be more involved in sustainable construction on the projects too, I went for a coffee at Ballast Nedam Development. This organisational unit is at the very beginning of a project, so here you can really make your mark on the construction. When it comes to circular construction, for example. I was enthusiastic straight away."

After her traineeship, Rosa started as a project developer at Ballast Nedam Development. "It's been really good so far. I'm mainly involved in area development in the south of the country. One example is the Berckelbosch project in Eindhoven. Here, we are building energy-neutral houses with great attention to the living environment and nature. The project even won a prize for the most nature-inclusive residential area in the Netherlands."

Meanwhile, Rosa also has her first own project in Heeze, in Brabant. "We are now in the design phase and will probably start selling next year. Our plan is to build a number of completely biobased homes here. Houses that store CO2 instead of emitting it and produce energy instead of using it; how nice is that? I am also looking at which recycled materials we can use and how we can build in the most circular way possible. Yes, as a project developer I can really get my teeth into it." 

Crucial role 

"I wouldn't want to work in any other sector. It's the creative aspect in particular that appeals to me. You really create something: a home and living environment for several generations of residents. At the same time, construction is one of the most polluting sectors. The construction sector therefore plays a crucial role in climate policy. Fortunately, more and more builders are aware of this. Ballast Nedam is also working hard on sustainable and circular construction," says Rosa.

"And I would definitely recommend the traineeship to starters who are interested in the construction industry. It's a kind of pressure cooker: in one year you are completely prepared to work in a place that suits you."